Time gone by - A marauders tale
by Theaugury1
Summary: Upon hearing of the events of Halloween night 1981, a young Remus Lupin recounts the story of his friendship with James Potter, Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew and their years as Hogwarts students. Canon wherever possible, some non-canon, just a beautiful blend of all that is good.
1. Chapter 1

November 7th, 1981

It was a crisp Autumn morning as a disheveled young man in dark holy jeans and a dirty, tattered, grey button up shirt sat in a cave atop a deep gully, somewhere in the northern-most parts of England.

He marked a small x on the sheet of parchment which sat beside him on the ground then counted the previously marked x's, 41. 41 days he had sat in this hellish cave, watching and waiting.

There had been whispers of a Death Eater camp situated within the gully, whispers which eventuated to be true. He had watched them for 34 days. Then suddenly, bit by bit the numbers started to diminish, it had started as ten fifteen of them, by the 37th day there were none. 4 more days had now passed with no sign of any life, human or animals.

The young man turned to the inside of the cave and gathered the supplies stacked neatly within, piling them into his rucksack, using his wand he used a cleaning charm to tidy himself up then removed the disillusionment charms he had placed on the cave and without looking back began the trek east towards the small wizarding community from which he had traveled 41 days prior.

After walking for what felt like days, the young man was relieved to realize that he was approaching the outskirts of the village as he passed a sign which read "Welcome to Waltorn, Population 400".

As he wandered down side streets to avoid drawing attention to himself he noticed that many of the buildings had new life, those which were simply piles of rubble had been reconstructed and there were people wandering the streets with expressions of cheer painted across their faces. He thought this was peculiar as the town had been deserted when he passed through just over a month prior.

He turned a corner and wearily approached the tavern, a humble building which could have been mistaken for a home had it not been for the sign emblazoned with a beer stein fixed to its front. He entered the building and approached the bar.

"what can I do for ye love?" asked the middle-aged witch behind the bar, her blonde hair woven into a messy bun atop of her head.

"I have been told that you will have bathing facilities available for me should I require them, my name is Wilfred Howell" said the young man nervously.

"ah yes! We've been expecting ye Mr. Howell, up the stairs and to the right, third door on the left-hand side of the corridor, I've been asked to instruct ye to go directly to the post office as soon as ye'v taken a shower" she replied as she pulled a key from her apron and handed it to him.

The young man followed her instructions and went upstairs to shower, he found that someone had left fresh clothing and shoes on the end of the bed for him, for which he was grateful. After a long shower, he went down the stairs and over to the post office directly across the street.

He proceeded directly to the counter where an elderly wizard stood sorting mail.

"what can I do for you son?" he asked without turning to face him.

"erm, I was wondering if there is any post for me sir, my name is Howell sir" he explained, anxiously hoping that there was in fact mail for him with news from home.

The old wizard handed him just one letter with Howell scrawled across the front in familiar hand writing. The young man retreated to a corner of the store and opened the letter.

 _Remus,_

 _Your current station is no longer required, please return to the Burrow immediately for further information._

 _-Albus Dumbledore_

Remus turned and started moving towards the door to the shop, stopping short to glance at the daily profit to confirm the date only to be pulled up short by the photograph which adored the front page. It was his best friend James Potter, his wife Lily and their son, Harry under the headline "Shocking developments in story of the boy who lived".

Remus grabbed the paper before stalking up to the counter and dumping payment for it, then leaving the store. He stood on the pavement and opened to the story.

 _Shocking developments in the story of the boy who lived_

 _Shocking and heartbreaking revelations have come to light in recent days with regards to the tragic murder of a young wizarding family from England's West country and the incredible survival of their young son Harry, just one-year old, as it is confirmed by the minister for magic that the young family were betrayed by none other than on of their closest friends, Sirius Black, now locked away and awaiting trial under the Wizengamot in Azkaban._

 _It has been alleged that Black advised he-who-must-not-be-named of the Potters whereabouts sometime on or before the 31_ _st_ _of October, at which point you know who attended the location provided at which he successfully located and succeeded at savagely murdering both James Potter (21) and his young wife Lily, nee. Evans (21) before turning on and attempting the murder of their infant son Harry, just one-year old._

 _For reasons unknown, you-know-who was not successful in this attempt and has seemingly vanished in the days that have followed. The whereabouts of the child are unknown and Albus Dumbledore is remaining tight lipped on this information but has assured us that the boy is alive and well._

 _The Daily Profit can also exclusively reveal information surrounding the explosion in muggle London just a few days ago, taking the lives of 13 people, 12 muggles and one wizard, the attack was believed to be orchestrated by death eaters enraged at the news of their masters' downfall, we can now reveal confirmed information from the ministry for magic that this was not however the case. The attack was orchestrated and carried out by none other than Sirius Black and that the wizard killed was Peter Pettigrew. The two are believed to have been long term friends throughout their schooling at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and it is speculated that Pettigrew had known of Blacks betrayal of two of their closest friends and intended to report the information to the ministry, prompting Black to attack him and murder him in an attempt at self-preservation. As previously mentioned, Black was arrested at the scene and is awaiting a trial under the Wizengamot in Azkaban._

\- _Tilda Botsworth_

Remus couldn't believe what he was reading, it couldn't be true could it? His best friend and his wife dead, betrayed by his other best friend, now locked away in Azkaban, poor Peter killed as well, he had to find out. He ran across the road to the tavern to fetch his rucksack, taking the stairs two at a time. He started pacing in front of the fire place, trying to remain focused on protocol. Make three stops before the final destination, send warning from each stop –

"Fuck protocol!" he said as he stepped into the fireplace, a hand full of floo powder at the ready.

"The Burrow" he said clearly dropping the powder as cool green flames enveloped him and the room before him went spinning out of sight.

Remus began to feel dizzy as the spinning around him slowed and the living room of the Burrow came into focus and he landed with a thud, a moment later came a resounding bang from within.

"ARTHUR THE FLOO" came a shrill shriek from a panicked Molly Weasley, followed by the hurried shuffling of feet.

"Take the boys upstairs Molly" said the concerned voice of her husband Arthur, it was at this moment that Remus felt guilt for his decision to not follow protocol.

"who goes there?" asked Arthur, who Remus was certain was stood with wand fixed on the fire place, although he couldn't see him.

"Wilfred Howell" replied Remus calmly and clearly.

"your password Mr. Howell" asked Arthur, clearly unconvinced.

Remus paused and sighed before clearing his throat "Lupus ad me in nocte" he recited, thoroughly unimpressed. He hated this password, a joke he felt at the expense of his affliction.

Before he could dwell any longer he felt the barrier on the fireplace release as Arthur called to his wife "it's okay Mol, it's Remus!".

Mollys enraged voice travelled down stairs, just clear enough for Remus to catch the words "bloody Remus, no warning, protocol out the window, could have been killed!".

He looked to Arthur who gestured for him to follow to the kitchen where he put the kettle on, Remus looked around at the familiar surroundings and placed his rucksack beside the table. He fished out the newspaper and slid it across the table as Arthur took a seat.

"tell me it's not true Art" he pleaded.

"sit down Remus, I'll go fetch Dumbledore, he's asked us not to discuss this with you without him. Had you followed protocol he could have met you here" Arthur replied as he stood up and dissapparated.

"Oh Remus, it's wonderful to see you again, goodness let's get some food into you!" Molly exclaimed as she entered the kitchen.

Molly appeared to have aged at least 10 years since the last time Remus had seen her 3 months prior, her hair was greying and she looked incredibly tired, Remus supposed that this was after effects of the war and caring for so many children, she still seemed happy none-the-less.

Molly poured Remus a cup of tea and placed it on the table in front of him before setting to work at the stove to cook him a meal.

Remus took a sip of his tea and just a moment later Arthur apparated with none other than Albus Dumbledore himself in tow.

"Remus!" exclaimed Dumbledore after straightening himself out "how wonderful to see you in one piece!".

"is it true Dumbledore?" Asked Remus immediately, abandoning his chair.

"now Remus, take a seat and we can discuss this" reasoned Dumbledore.

"IS IT TRUE?" Remus pleaded, an air of desperation in his voice

"I'm afraid so Remus, we are still unsure of exactly what occurred but the evidence strongly suggests that Sirius played a large and sinister role in what has occurred" Dumbledore began to explain.

Remus sunk back into his seat at the table, no longer listening to what was being said around him, not even noticing when Molly placed a large plate of sausages and eggs before him.

How could this happen? He knew Sirius had been losing it, hell, he'd even accused Remus himself of being a spy for you-know-who, but to betray Lily and James? To betray Harry, his godson? Remus couldn't understand how it had all come to this moment. As his body went numb he thought back to the very beginning…


	2. Chapter 2

10th August 1971

It was a pleasant late summer morning in the English countryside, a quaint cottage sat amongst the sprawling hills, its gardens a picture of beauty with ivy creeping up the walls of the building and pops of colour all around.

In the back-most bedroom of the house, in front of a toy chest sat a small boy, just eleven years old he looked ragged and tired, like an old man worn with age, his mother had begged him to go and spend some time in the garden this morning, but he'd just wanted to stay inside.

The boy was lost in his own thoughts, trying desperately to remember the events of three nights ago, but to no avail. It frustrated him beyond belief that no matter how hard he tried he could never remember, there was nothing, it was all just blank, one to three nights, every month, gone, never to be known again. He hated it.

A sudden knocking on the front door of the cottage snapped him back to reality, more like three sharp taps if he was honest.

"Remus, can you come out here please darling? We have a guest!" called his mother from the kitchen.

Remus got up and checked his appearance in the old mirror on his bedroom wall, that knock didn't belong to anyone he knew, it would likely be one of his father's colleagues from the ministry, he tucked his red and blue T-shirt into the waist of his dark brown corduroy jeans and tried to smooth his hair, it didn't make a lot of difference. He accepted that this would have to do and with a deep sigh started towards the living room.

Remus entered the living room to find his mother placing a tea pot and four cups, a pot of sugar and a small jug of milk in front of his father and a very peculiar man who Remus knew instantly must be a wizard. The man had long, greying, auburn hair with a long wispy beard to match, he was rather tall and wore long flowing robes made of lavender velvet with silk embellishments and a matching pointed hat sat atop his head.

"and this charming young man must be Remus!" he exclaimed as he stood to approach him "My name is Albus Dumbledore and I am the newly appointed headmaster of Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry, I was hoping I might be able to speak with you and your parents today Remus, if that's quite okay with you?"

"erm…sure" Remus replied, as he took a seat beside his father at the table.

"now that we're all settled" Dumbledore began slowly as his mother finished pouring each of them a cup of tea "the reason for my visit today is that I understand that you have contacted former headmaster Professor Dippet in the past with regards to the possibility of Remus's future attendance-"

"with all due respect, Professor Dumbledore, if you're here to remind us that he will not be permitted to attend you can save yourself the trouble, I'll not have you disappoint my boy unnecessarily the way Professor Dippet did" Remus's father interrupted.

"on the contrary Lyall" Dumbledore replied, calmness in his voice "in fact I am here to do quite the opposite! I feel that I have come to a solution to the problem at hand which would allow Remus to carry out his education at Hogwarts without jeopardising the safety of himself or others"

"but sir…my…I'm a werewolf sir, how can I attend school without putting others in danger… Professor Dippet said that there was no way?" Remus asked of the headmaster carefully.

"I'm afraid that Professor Dippet, while a brilliant wizard who I have the utmost respect for, is rather old and incredibly stuck in his ways, unfortunately he often doesn't see the potential or have a mind for, creative solutions. I believe that I have concocted a solution brilliant, yet practical enough to enable Hogwarts to offer you the education you not only are entitled to, but that you deserve, should you choose to accept our invitation"

"what is your solution headmaster?" asked Remus's mother, clearly unconvinced.

"my solution, Mrs. Lupin, is for Remus to attend school as usual, though at the time of each full moon throughout his education which falls within term, and holidays should you choose to stay for them Remus, we will have a location prepared which is separate from the school, at which Remus will be kept hidden from his peers and professors. There will be no way that Remus can exit this location during his turns and no way for students to happen upon him." Dumbledore explained.

Remus looked towards his parents, feeling a feeling that he hadn't felt much in the five years that had passed since his attack, hope.

"where is the location? How can you be sure that no one will find him there?" asked his mother, as his father processed the information already given.

"the location I have in mind is an old abandoned farmhouse just past the outskirts of Hogsmeade village, it has remained uninhabited for over 15 years, you would remember it from your school years Lyall" Dumbledore explained as Remus's father nodded that yes, he did remember "I can assure you Mrs. Lupin, that no one will find him, the only point of access to the building on school grounds is a concealed passageway at the foot of a decades old whomping willow, there will be charms placed on the building in the coming weeks leading up to the school year which will cause horrendous shrieking noises to come from the building at night, these charms will only be lifted during Remus's turns, it is my hope that rumours will spread that the building is haunted and I certainly intend to encourage them. I have every faith that this is a safe way to ensure that Remus gets his chance at Hogwarts."

As Remus's parents took in the information they had been given, the old professor looked now to Remus.

"I understand that this is a frightening concept, and of course it may require tweaking and tinkering with to perfect it, but it is with great hope and optimism that I invite you, Remus, to attend Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry this coming school year"


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: This one took a bit longer to write due to fact checking, but since it's a bit longer I think it's worth it. Please review so I know if I'm on the right track.

I don't own anything related to the HP universe, that's all thanks to the incredible J. , you will start meeting some original characters from this point onward however.

1st September 1971

As the sun rose over a pleasant first day of Autumn in London, England, an incredibly over excited Remus lupin already sat awake in his bed in the room he had stayed the previous night in with his parents Lyall and Hope at the Leaky Cauldron, a little tavern guarding the entry to Diagon alley.

He gazed out the window, smiling at the rising sun and the beauty it created, its sharp hues of orange ricocheting off the few small clouds in the sky. The dawn had long ago become Remus's favourite time of the day. It signalled the start of a new day, the end of his turns and so often made those horrific nights that little bit more bearable.

He turned his attention to the creature in the corner nearest the window, teetering happily in a cage as it pecked at its feathers, his new pet owl, a young Tawny owl with feathers flecked with golden orange and white, much like the sunrise bouncing across the clouds. He hadn't really wanted an owl, but his father had insisted, it would make it easier for Remus to get messages home should he need to.

He had yet to name the owl, unsure what would be a suitable name, but in that moment he decided to name her after the sunrise, it seemed fitting. He thought back to his conversation about dawn with his mother, about five years ago, not long after his attack when his affection for the time of day started, she had told him of Aurora, the Roman goddess of dawn.

"Aurora" he thought aloud, the beautiful owl turning her attention to him as though it was already her name.

'Aurora it is' he thought, smiling to himself.

It was only a few hours later that Remus and his parents were piled into a muggle taxi heading for Kings Cross Station, his parents chatting away about how perfect the weather was for their son's journey to school, being careful not to mention anything too specific, ever aware of the drivers prying ears.

Remus smiled as he watched Aurora sleeping in her cage, his mind drifted back to their trip to Diagon alley the previous day, most fondly remembering visiting Ollivander's wand shop to purchase his wand which was now safely tucked into the top of his green canvas backpack, wrapped carefully in the robes he had gotten at Madam Malkin's.

The taxi pulled up in front of the station, Hope paid the fare as Lyall fetched a trolley and unloaded Remus's trunk and Aurora's cage then the trio began the journey through the station towards platform 9 ¾ Remus watched as other students, old and new, disappeared onto the platform as he bounced excitedly, ready for it to be his turn. He glanced at his mother, a look of horror painted across her face as she watched the students run towards the wall, releasing a gasp of relief each time they slipped through seeming to vanish. She was a muggle and though she knew a lot about the wizarding world, this was something she had never seen.

Remus grinned from ear to ear as his turn came, he pushed his trolley at a jog, adrenaline pumping through his veins, he heard his parents right behind him, moving hand in hand and as the platform opened up in front of him he couldn't help but relish the sight.

The giant red steam train on the tracks in front of him was a thing of incredulous beauty, countless students and parents were gathered in clusters around the platform saying their goodbyes and the sounds of cats, owls and toads alike echoed off the high dome shaped ceiling above the train.

As Remus turned back to his parents who were chatting with one of his father's ministry colleagues he couldn't help but smile to himself, he was actually here and he was actually going to Hogwarts.

"yes, yes, well we discussed the matter and came to the conclusion that I would not have the time to maintain my position at the ministry and give him an adequate education myself at home, so we resolved that Remus would attend Hogwarts, it is a rite of passage in our world after all" his father explained to his colleague.

"ah yes I can understand that Lyall!" the man responded, "and of course he is sure to enjoy his time at school just as we did, Alastor certainly has been"

"and how is he doing in his classes? Any prospect of following in your footsteps and joing the auror division?" Lyall asked curiously.

"oh yes indeed, wonderful grades, a real proclivity for all things magical my boy!" the man exclaimed proudly "well Lyall, it truly was nice to chat but I best get back to the wife before he has to board the train, I'll not hear the end of it otherwise, see you tomorrow at work!"

As the man wandered over to his wife and son who were saying their goodbyes Lyall turned his attention to his wife and son.

"Ivan Moody, absolutely terrific auror, potential to be auror head one day" he explained, "how are you feeling Remus? Ready to go?"

"yes!" Remus answered, struggling to stand still to bid his parents farewell.

"now promise you'll write won't you love? Every month so we know all is well, and more if you fancy, but definitely at least once a month, oh it's going to be strange not having you around the house, do you have the money we gave you? Make sure you don't buy too many sweets okay?" his mother said as she fussed about him, trying to flatten his hair as though it may fly off his scalp at any moment.

"I promise I'll write at least once a month, yes I have my money and I promise I won't buy too many sweets… I'm going to miss you mum" Remus said with a mixture of nerves and excitement.

"I love you so much Remus" his mother whispered in his ear as she hugged him one more time.

"I love you too mum" Remus replied before turning to his father.

"be safe, study hard and have fun, we'll see you for Christmas" Lyall said, beaming with pride.

"see you at Christmas!" Remus replied excitedly as he gripped Auroras cage tighter and moved towards the door of the train.

He climbed aboard and chose an empty compartment right by the back of the train, he sat down by the window and got settled as the whistle sounded and with a jolt it started to rumble forward, he found his parents on the platform, waving as he rolled by, his mother holding back tears, then sat back and watched as muggle London passed him by and turned to English countryside.

Sometime later the door the compartment slid open quietly, Remus didn't know how long it had been as he'd been gazing out the window in wonderment for what felt like hours. He looked towards the person who had opened the door, a small boy, obviously a first year but small enough that he looked almost too young to be on the train. He had a long, pointed nose, a narrow face and mousey brown hair, with big bushy eyebrows and as he smiled at Remus he showed teeth too big for his mouth.

"I…I hope you don't mind, I was in another compartment but some seventh years came in and told me to leave and well…I've heard things, bad things, about their families…everywhere else is full…can I sit in here for the rest of the trip?" the boy blurted in a nervous hurry.

"sure" Remus replied, a reassuring smile on his face.

"are you going to Hogwarts too?" the boy asked as he settled into the seat across from Remus, "I mean of course you are if you're on the train! Have you ever seen Hogwarts before? I haven't but my mum said it's amazing"

The boy kept talking for what felt like hours, even as the witch pushing the trolley tapped on the door gently and Remus bought himself a pumpkin pasty, he kept asking question after question but gave Remus no opportunity to respond. Most people would have found this incredibly irritating but Remus thought that perhaps it was just excitement or nerves, so he didn't mind.

"it's getting dark huh? We should probably change into our- oh…oh no!" the boy said, looking under the seats and in the baggage racks "my bag! I must have left it in the other compartment… oh no…I'm sorry I have to go find it, my robes are in it!"

As the boy bolted out of the compartment Remus couldn't help but think he was right about changing into their robes, surely they must be arriving soon.

Sure enough 20 minutes later, as Remus sat watching the sun finish setting while smoothing his new robes, he felt a new rush of excitement as the train let out a high-pitched whistle and began to slow to a stop.

The journey from the train to the castle was a blur for Remus, there were students everywhere until the first years were separated from the returning students and were led to a small fleet of little row boats by an incredibly large man with wild black hair. He didn't pay much attention during the boat trip as he had started to feel quite ill. That was of course, until an enormous castle came into view across the water.

He had been in a state of wonder even until the boat he was in came to a stop at the edge of the lake with a sudden thud. The first years had climbed out of the boats and made their way up an enormous number of stairs and into the entry way of the castle where a tall, thin, stern looking witch in flowing emerald robes had met them and led them into a room to the left of the entry hall, she had explained that they would each be required to sit on a chair and wear a hat which would decide to which house they would be assigned and instructed them to wait quietly for a moment.

Remus stood in a corner in silence while some of the other students around him chattered excitedly, a few feet away a boy with wild black hair was asking a tall boy with messy hair and glasses which house he would choose if he could, when his response was Gryffindor another boy with greasy, long black hair who was also standing near them with a girl with long auburn hair made a comment which had sparked a reaction of anger from the boy with glasses, the exchange was interrupted when the tall witch, who had introduced herself as Professor McGonagall, returned to the small room and commanded their attention.

"we will now make our way to the great hall to commence the sorting ceremony, as we exit this room you will form a single line, we will then make our way into the great hall in an orderly fashion and I will call each of your names one at a time at which point you will step forward to be sorted then make your way to the table belonging to that house." She explained before turning to lead the way out of the small room through a door at the opposite side of the room to the door they had entered through.

Following the professor's directions, the first years formed a line and followed her quietly through the door and to the front of the hall with hundreds of students faces looking up at them. Professor McGonagall then placed a stool at the front of the hall and an old tattered brown witches hat upon it, Remus could only assume that it was the sorting hat.

The hat proceeded to sing an obscure song about Hogwarts and its founders, but Remus was too preoccupied by the great hall and those within it to pay attention. The huge hall was home to four tables the length of the room and the ceiling was enchanted to imitate the sky outside, hundreds of enchanted candles floated above the tables, it was truly magical.

"Berrigan, Anna" Professor McGonagall called when the hat stopped singing, Berrigan, Anna, a pretty witch with red hair and freckles stepped up to the stool.

"Gryffindor!" the hat called almost immediately, met with an enormous cheer from the corresponding table.

"Black, Sirius" the professor called. The boy with the wild hair who had been discussing houses with in the other room stepped up to the stool and placed the hat on his head.

"Gryffindor!" the hat declared after a few moments of deliberation.

As the boy got up and walked towards the table he was met not with the same enthusiasm as Berrigan, Anna, but with uncomfortable silence from three of the tables, which was soon broken by cries of outrage, boos and heckling from the table at the far left, a large green banner emblazoned with a serpent above.

Two boys named Crabbe and Goyle were then sent to Slytherin, the auburn-haired girl, whose name was Evans, Lily according to the professor, was sent to the Gryffindor table, two more girls were also sorted to Gryffindor and an eccentric looking boy with flowing blonde hair which reached below his waist was sent to join Ravenclaw.

"Lupin, Remus" Professor McGonagall called.

Remus carefully made his way to the stool with the hat, suddenly incredibly aware of the hundreds of sets of eyes watching his every move. He took a seat on the stool and placed the hat upon his head, nervously waiting for the hats decision.

"Gryffindor!" the hat declared after just a few moments of deliberation.

Remus made his way to the Gryffindor table, met with cheers and excitement. He took a seat across from the boy with wild black hair, beside the auburn-haired girl who introduced herself as Lily.

The professor continued with the sorting, two more students, a boy and a girl, were both sent to Ravenclaw, a girl named Eve was sent to join Hufflepuff and a boy whose name Remus missed joined her soon after.

"Pettigrew, Peter" called the professor.

A boy slowly stepped forward looking around nervously, Remus recognised him as the small boy from the train. He took a seat on the stool and placed the hat on his head, after a few moments the hall began to erupt with whispers.

While everyone else had been sorted almost immediately, a few taking a minute or so, Peter had already been on the chair for close to three minutes and had a look of horror and pain painted across his face.

"hat stall, I've heard about it but it's so rare!" Remus heard a boy a few years older than him whisper to the girl beside him, awarding him a serious look from an even older boy who sat between the boy who had whispered and the auburn-haired girl.

After more than 5 minutes had passed the hat finally declared the boy to be a Gryffindor, he practically ran to the table, met with cheers and applause, though nowhere near as enthusiastic as what Remus and Lily had been met with.

The hat sorted the remaining students in record time with two more boys joining the Gryffindor table, another three students to Hufflepuff, two to Ravenclaw and 3 girls being sent to Slytherin. Finally, a boy named Potter was sent to Gryffindor and the greasy haired boy, whose name was Snape, to Slytherin, the hat had barely touched his head when it had declared his house.

It was at this point that Professor Dumbledore had stood, commanding the student's attention.

"Welcome to a new school year at Hogwarts, I'm sure you're all eager to commence the feast so I will make this short, Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! And Tweak! and now, let the feast begin!" he said as the plates and bowls in the middle of the table filled with all kinds of foods and the students around Remus started reaching for the food they desired.

As Remus reached for various items including roast lamb, corn on the cob and mashed potatoes the boys across the table from him introduced themselves.

"I'm James Potter" said the boy with glasses who had been sorted second to last.

"Sirius Black" the boy with the wild black hair said, Remus noticed that he was attracting all kinds of looks from the Slytherin table, but decided not to mention it.

"Remus" he said quietly.

The three boys discussed all manner of things as they ate their fill of the incredible food that the table had to offer, switching to cakes and pies as the plates started offering sweets instead. Just as the conversation turned towards their families, Sirius reached for another piece of apple pie only to realise that the plates were now empty.

"your attention please" came Professor Dumbledore's voice, commanding the attention of the hall once more "just a couple of quick notices before we all retire to our respective dormitories, our caretaker Mr. Corrigan, has asked me to remind you all that the forest is strictly out of bounds for all students and that the use of magic in the corridors between classes is also forbidden. Quidditch trials will be held two weeks from now and any interested students should register their interest with Madam Flein before that time. With that I would like to wish you all the best for the new school year, first years will be asked to follow the instructions of their house prefects who will direct you to your house dormitories. Goodnight"

And with that there was an eruption of noise as the older students stood to make their way towards the exit. A tall girl with Blonde hair and a soft face made her way over to the first years, her hair was long and wavy with a thick scarlet and gold bow tied just above her fringe.

"my name is Poppy Thompson and this is William Brown" she said as she was joined by a boy, slightly taller than her with chestnut brown hair "we are two of the Gryffindor prefects, there are six of us in total as well as the head boy and girl, they are Alastor Moody and Jane McCamish. You'll probably see them around throughout the school year but we've been tasked with showing you to Gryffindor tower. Please pay attention to where you're going, it's a big castle and it's easier to get lost"

With that the prefects turned around and began the journey to Gryffindor tower, it was a long walk through much of the castle, up several sets of stairs which William warned are known to change direction, and down several long corridors until finally they reached a large portrait of an incredibly fat woman where they came to a stop.

"password?" asked the fat woman within.

"Babbling Banshees" William replied clearly, at which the portrait swung open like a door allowing the students entry to a beautiful room with walls and floors of deep scarlet and filled with couches and desks around a large open fire.

"this is the Gryffindor common room" William explained "the dormitories are through the doors on either side, boys are first door to the left, girls first door to the right. I suggest you go find your beds and get an early night before classes commence in the morning"

With that the two prefects dispersed to the fifth doors to the left and right, to their dormitories Remus assumed, the first years followed suit entering through the first doors and making their way up a tall spiral staircase, the small boy chattering away excitedly. Finally, after what seemed like a hundred stairs the reached a round room, the edges lined with six four posted beds emblazoned with the Gryffindor house colours. All the boys' belongings had already been placed at the foot of each bed, they began unpacking while they discussed the feast and the sorting.

"why didn't everyone cheer when you got sorted?" Peter, the small boy from the train asked Sirius Black as he placed his clothes in the dresser by the bed.

"well, my whole families always been in Slytherin… I'm the first person ever to be sorted somewhere else. I bet my cousin writes my mother first thing tomorrow to snitch" he explained, grinning from ear to ear as he did.

The boys finished unpacking their belongings and climbed into bed, Remus laid awake after each of the others drifted off into the world of slumber. He stared at the ceiling unable to really comprehend that he was actually at Hogwarts.

As Remus finally drifted off to sleep he made a silent wish to wake up in the morning and not find that this was all a wonderful dream.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I do not own anything Harry Potter related

* * *

5th September 1971

Sirius awoke on Sunday morning to warm, golden sunlight filtering through the window above his four-posted bed, he would have been quite content to skip breakfast and lay in a little longer had it not been for the sound of James' voice.

"it's about time you woke up! Come on Sirius, I'm starving!" he said, "I would have gone without you but Remus still isn't back yet"

Sirius grunted in reply as he pulled back his covers and climbed out of bed. He quickly dressed in jeans and a black T-shirt and he and James made their way out of Gryffindor tower and began their long journey to the great hall.

Neither of them had seen Remus since the previous morning and they were both starting to get worried, he was more sensible than them, but he had become their friend rather fast. They had decided the previous night that if he hadn't shown up by lunch time today they'd go see Professor McGonagall.

They were half way down a long corridor, nearly at the last staircase standing between them and breakfast, discussing a prank they had been planning on Mr. Corrigan the caretaker when an all too familiar voice rang from behind them. Sirius cringed visibly at the sound.

"ohhh Siriuuuus!" the voice had called.

He stopped mid step and turned to face its source, a tall, thin, girl with straight white blonde hair reaching down to her waist. She wore a high waist pleated black skirt which barely reached half way down her thighs and a long-sleeved pear green blouse with a black rounded collar, matching green knee-high socks and black platform heels. A boy wearing a black three-piece suit stood tall at her side, blonde hair slicked tight against his scalp, peering at Sirius down his nose.

"Narcissa. To what do I owe this pleasure?" Sirius asked sarcastically, he knew exactly what she wanted.

"oh, I just wanted to congratulate you on being sorted into Gryffindor Sirius! How proud your parents must be, the first in a family centuries old to attend Hogwarts and not be sorted to Slytherin, you do like to be different though don't you?" she exclaimed in a mocking tone that Sirius may have mistaken for genuine kindness and excitement, had he not already known her.

"well! Thank you, _Cissy_ , in fact my parents are incredibly proud, they wrote me yesterday in fact, said I might even get my pick of an heirloom!" Sirius replied, matching her tone.

"no they didn't Sirius, you know as well as I do that they'll be far from pleased about this. I wrote Bella two days ago, so you can probably expect an owl from them today" Narcissa retorted, her tone far sharper.

Sirius felt himself pale at her words, as he stumbled in his mind trying to think of a clever retort the blonde boy snorted audibly.

"and what in the bloody hell is this? Your pet swine?" Sirius asked Narcissa, clearly getting annoyed.

"I'll have you know that this is Lucius Malfoy, to whom I am set to wed following our graduation" she said, her tone and posture stiffer than ever.

"in that case welcome to the family old chap!" Sirius replied, reverting to his mocking tone.

"I am a person who can provide you with powerful connections or ruin you in this word and you would do well to remember that" Lucius scolded as he and Narcissa turned and started off down the corridor.

"who was that?" James asked as they started walking towards the great hall once again.

"my cousin" Sirius replied.

"seems like an absolute riot!" James joked.

"oh, you think she's great? You should meet her older sister Bella! She's an absolute blast!" Sirius joined in.

As they entered the great hall and sat down in some empty seats James spotted the greasy haired Slytherin boy who had mocked Gryffindor before the sorting by the door and pointed him out to Sirius. They had made a list of spells to test on him from a book in the library, nothing too serious, they didn't want to get expelled, but just enough to teach him a lesson for being an insufferable know it all. They had already given him pimples all over his face, warts to match the following day and yesterday James had somehow managed to shrink his robes a few inches, not that they'd fit him well to begin with.

Today it was back to being Sirius' turn, he pulled the small sheet of parchment out of his pocket and looked at the fourth spell down.

"this'll be a good one James!" Sirius said excitedly as he pointed his wand at the boy then chanted the spell.

Sirius and James watched with glee as the boys' shoe laces tangled in amongst each other tying his feet firmly together.

"Severus! Are you ready?" came the voice of Lily Evans as she walked down the Gryffindor table towards him smiling, he had clearly been waiting for her.

The two boys continued watching, though more subtly as they each reached for the same slice of toast. There was a sudden thump and roars of laughter as the greasy haired boy fell to the ground in a lump. He got up and Lily tried desperately to work out how to undo his shoes before he simply took them off and ran out of the hall, leaving the laughter of hundreds of students in his wake.

James and Sirius continued to laugh as they kept eating, Sirius fell suddenly silent at the sound of the post arriving, his cousins warning lingering in his head.

 _'I wrote Bella two days ago, so you can probably expect an owl from them today'_ she had said, Sirius couldn't help but be petrified at the prospect of that letter arriving. Sure enough a familiar bird came swooping down from above, a neatly rolled piece of parchment in its claws. It was an awful looking, huge black owl with piercing eyes, Sirius usually got along with it but today it bit his hand, he knew this wouldn't be a pleasant letter.

As he tore away the seal, he felt it stinging in his finger tip, he knew instantly that this one was from his father, who preferred a special type of wax seal which caused the person who opened it to get a hideous red rash on their hands for several days after, rather than the howler method of punishment that most parents preferred. He unrolled the parchment, ignoring the stinging feeling spreading across his hands and read the letter it held.

 _Sirius,_

 _Your mother and I are deeply disappointed to have received word of your house placement at Hogwarts._

 _Not only have you broken family traditions which are centuries old, you have also raised the eyebrows of our colleagues and peers._

 _Note that your cousin is not our only method for keeping a watch over you Sirius, something that we will be doing extremely carefully from this point forward._

 _Do not embarrass us like this again or the consequences will be severe._

 _-O.B_

"O.B?" asked James as he read over Sirius' shoulder.

"Orion Black" Sirius responded, "my father, we don't deal with pleasantries like mum and dad in my house"

"Black? Potter?" came a deep voice from behind them, they turned to face its source, an angry looking 7th year boy, "Alastor Moody, Gryffindor head boy, mind if we have a quick chat?"

Moody grabbed each of the boys by an ear and lifted them from the table, dragging them out the front of the castle.

"I have just had Corrigan up my arse for not keeping the two of you in line, I'm told you've been cursing your classmates in the halls, you best be stopping it right now or I will be forced to start deducting points from Gryffindor! I'm told you've got a fair amount of homework for Professor Slughorn due tomorrow, I suggest you scurry off to the tower and get to it because if I see either of you out and about in the castle for the rest of the day I'll be telling Corrigan I saw you tie that Slytherin boys shoe laces together. Got it?" he yelled at them, before turning on the spot and storming away.

Sirius and James made their way back to the tower and stayed there for the rest of the day, not studying, but planning a prank to thank Mr. Corrigan for his efforts. It wasn't that the boys were afraid of Alastor, but more to the point, James knew his father was well acquainted with Alastor's grandfather. His mother would kill him if she knew he'd already been in detention twice less than a week into term.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: This one took a bit longer to get done than I had planned, it's been a busy week. It's my plan to have a new chapter uploaded by this time each week, though you'll have to forgive me if I'm a little late, study and work don't always play along with these plans. Please let me know what you think!

*I own nothing Harry Potter related with the exception of the few original characters finding their way in from time to time. the Harry Potter universe comes to us of course with thanks to our queen J K Rowling*

6th September 1971

James had awoken late that morning and rushed to wake Sirius who was snoring heavily, the two of them had hurried to the great hall for breakfast only to find that they had missed it completely when they were met at the doors by a rush of students heading to their first classes of the day.

The pair had sat through transfiguration with Professor McGonagall and History of magic with Professor Binns trying to ignore their roaring stomachs.

It was with a flicker of greed that the two boys now sat in the great hall piling their plates high with sandwiches, each eating two before saying a word.

"where the hell is Remus?" Sirius asked through a mouth full of roast beef and cheese sandwich "he always wakes us up for breakfast"

"I don't know" James responded quietly "I hope it's nothing serious, McGonagall did say not to worry and he'd be back today though"

This seemed to be enough for Sirius as he grunted in response and the two turned to discussing their mornings classes while they continued eating, both proudly recollecting being two of the only students in the class to successfully transfigure a mouse into a goblet by the end of the lesson. The conversation eventually turned to what they thought they might be doing in potions that afternoon when Sirius suddenly fell silent, James looked to his left to find Remus lowering himself into the seat beside him.

His eyes had dark rings beneath them and he seemed paler than he had on Friday, Sirius met James' eyes as though he was noticing the same things.

"hey" Remus greeted them quietly as he reached for a ham and tomato sandwich.

"hey" James responded "where have you been? We've been pretty worried"

"um… I had to go home for the weekend… just family stuff" he replied slowly before changing the subject "what did I miss this morning?"

James recapped what they'd done in the mornings lessons and he and Sirius vowed that they would show him the spell they had learnt in transfiguration that evening after dinner.

The three boys chatted about the goings on in the castle over the weekend as they finished their sandwiches, Remus laughing when James had told him about shooting a nose bleed hex at Corrigan from behind a suit of armour after dinner on Sunday night, then they all stood and made their way towards the dungeons for the afternoons potions lesson.

As James took his usual seat with Remus and Sirius he noticed that there was nothing but a page number written on the blackboard as Professor Slughorn finicked around with his potions kit, excitement built within him as he came to the realisation that this meant they might be brewing today rather than doing theoretical work. He turned to point this out to Sirius but was interrupted by the Professor commanding the attention of the room.

"good afternoon, good afternoon, and what a lovely Monday afternoon it is indeed! Today we will be doing something a little bit more invigorating than the potions theory we covered last week. But first to refresh your memories!" the professor said cheerfully to the class "can anyone tell me what potion we researched on Friday morning?"

James looked to Sirius, trying to remember, the two had spent that lesson discussing the places the entrance to the castles kitchens may be.

"yes, Miss Evans, is it?" the professor said, snapping their attention back to him.

"yes sir, it was the antidote for common poisons sir" the girl with the auburn hair replied, James was not surprised that it was her who had answered, she seemed to know the answers to any questions the professors asked, it was rather irritating if he was honest.

"that is correct Miss. Evans! Today we will put aside the theoretical work and begin attempting to brew the antidote for common poisons! A simple yet crucial potion for any witch or wizards' repertoire! There are six of you per row of desks so you will work with the person directly beside you, please set up your cauldrons and open your books to page 28, when you are confident that you understand the recipe and are prepared, you may begin brewing your potion. Any duo who has brewed a successful antidote for common poisons by the end of Fridays lesson will receive 5 points each for their respective houses" the professor explained before watching the class spring to life preparing to brew.

It was at this moment that James realised that he wouldn't be working with either Remus or Sirius, who were sat at the end of the bench to his right. He glanced to his left to find the boy who had sat with the sorting hat on his head for five minutes setting up his cauldron and potions kit. Outraged he turned to Remus and Sirius, the latter of the two was snickering as he had clearly just come to the same realisation as James.

"what the hell? I don't want to work with that freak!" he declared, his voice lined with outrage.

"don't be mean James!" Remus said immediately "I talked to him on the train for a while and he's actually not that bad, extremely enthusiastic and a little strange, but he seems alright"

James sighed as he turned back to his new partner and started setting up his potions kit, smiling to himself as he removed all of the tools from their slots. His dad was a brilliant potioneer, world famous for his hair potion so James was confident that he would also be remarkably skilled at the craft.

"hi, I'm Peter" the boy introduced himself happily as he began going over the recipe.

The rest of the lesson went smoothly as the students started brewing their potions, Peter wasn't particularly bright but he wasn't completely useless, for the most part he just read the directions aloud to James and stirred the cauldron while James made additions, though he stopped James from adding the Bezoar instead of the Mistletoe berries when Sirius had distracted him by imitating Snape lecturing the Slytherin girl he was working with for using the wrong knife to prepare the Bezoars.

"I'm afraid that's all the time we have today" came Professor Slughorns voice after an hour had passed "though I see some immense potential amongst this class I must say! Now for your homework tasks! You will all be expected to hand in a roll of parchment in next Mondays lesson documenting the process of brewing this potion, the desired effects of the final product and the techniques you have learnt in brewing it, you should update it following each lesson and include an overall summary after I grade them on Friday morning. You will be expected to complete these reports as a pair. Now please clean your work areas and have a lovely afternoon!"

The students all hurriedly cleaned their respective messes and made their way out of the classroom, all grumbling about the homework which faced them. With these reports on top of the two rolls of parchment for Professor McGonagall and the two for Professor Binns they were in for a long week.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: A little bit delayed, for that I apologize, have had a bunch of homework to do also a bit shorter than the other chapters so far (I'll make it up to you next chapter I promise), for that I also apologize.

*I own nothing related to the Harry Potter universe, that all comes from J K Rowling*

11th September 1971

Remus sat on his bed in the Gryffindor tower waiting patiently for James and Sirius to wake up so they could all go eat breakfast together. As he gazed out the window over the grounds of Hogwarts he thought about how lucky he had been to meet the two boys, snoring away. Dumbledore's plan for his turns had gone off without a hitch, no one had found him and he hadn't escaped, sure he'd come around with far more bruises and cuts this time than ever before but everyone was safe, once he'd realised this fact the previous Monday morning his concern had automatically turned to how he was going to explain his absence over the weekend to his new friends. He'd been more than thankful when they'd accepted his excuse of family matters without any further questions.

A few minutes later both James and Sirius started to stir before pulling themselves out of bed, throwing on jeans and T-shirts and picking up their school satchels.

"C'mon then Remus" yawned Sirius "I'm starving!'

The three boys started the long trek down to the great hall where they took their usual seats at the Gryffindor table, each grabbing a few pieces of toast while discussing the homework they planned to work on that day. Their parchment on the antidotes for common poisons for professor Slughorn, two rolls of parchment on the early history of Hogwarts for Professor Binns and half a parchment on duelling etiquette for their Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Swindon.

After the boys had finished eating they stood and picked up their satchels.

"you coming Peter?" James called down the table over the hum of other students chatting.

Peter put down his goblet, stood up and started to walk over to the trio before doubling back for his satchel which he had left behind.

They made their way to the library and claimed a table right in the back amongst the shelves closest to the restricted section. As they all pulled out their parchments and quills they decided on a course of action. James would go through and check all of their parchments for potions since he had the most potions knowledge, Sirius and Peter would find a few topics they could use for their history of magic assignments and Remus would research duelling etiquette so they could all work off the same notes and get all their homework done before bed that night and spend their Sunday exploring the grounds.

Soon enough the four boys where surrounded by quills, parchment and library books, each of them working hard on their individual tasks, Remus heard Sirius and Peter laughing as they invented impressions of the school's founders. He had been shocked when James and Sirius had suggested asking Peter to start sitting with them in all of their classes, he soon learned that Peter knew a fair few hexes and had a strong knowledge of dark magic, Remus didn't know why he knew so much about dark curses and artefacts but Sirius had pointed out how useful it could be to have Peter around for Defence against the dark arts assignments, Remus had his suspicions that the ulterior motives behind befriending peter were fast being forgotten though, and friendships taking their place.

"NO WAY" Sirius shouted, earning himself a scolding look from Madam Marjorie, the school's librarian.

"This better be good mate" said an irritated James "I just spilt ink all over my robes!"

"it says here, that there are hundreds of old hidden passageways around Hogwarts, some of them even lead out of school grounds! D'you reckon it's true?" Sirius said excitably.

"well I mean it makes sense…" Peter answered quietly, only continuing when met with silence and confused looks "I just mean, rumour has it, according to all the history books and stuff, that Salazar Slytherin was super secretive and sneaky and stuff, so wouldn't it make sense if there were a bunch of secret ways to get around the school and out of the school without anyone else knowing or seeing you?"

The boys were all silent for a few moments as they considered his point before nodding in agreement and deciding to try and figure out where there could be some passageways, Remus making sure they all agreed that they had to finish their homework first.

By dinner time they had all finished their potions and Defence against the Dark Arts homework, all that was left was finishing off their parchments for Professor Binns.

They were all ravenous as they took their seats in the great hall after deciding to skip lunch to get finished with their homework earlier, Remus had a sneaking suspicion that James and Sirius were hatching a plan for the night since they spent dinner whispering in hushed tones, leaving Remus to talk to Moody about dark creatures as Peter listened quietly while he ate, he had confessed to the boys earlier that day that he was petrified of the head boy, Remus didn't mind too much as he found the conversation with Alastor quite interesting, managing to only flinch the slightest bit at the fleeting mention of werewolves.

By the time Remus climbed into bed that night he was exhausted and slipped off to sleep with ease, regardless of the sharp whispering coming from the direction of James and Sirius's beds and the faint snoring already emanating from Peters.


End file.
